Pressure barrel - flat beer!!

[Stephenaxe]

Hey guys,
i poured a tester today from my lager barrel 2 days before its serpost to be ready to see how it was getting along. But it has very little fiz !! Is this a big problem, can i do any thing if it is flat other than pour it down the sink!

P.s it tastes great tho !

 

[brobin]

Hi Stephenaxe,

What sort of barrel is it?

 

[Stephenaxe]

Hi Stephenaxe,

What sort of barrel is it?

hi its a youngs pressure barrel

 

[brobin]

Does it have a valve at the top for injecting co2?

 

[Stephenaxe]

Does it have a valve at the top for injecting co2?

Ive just ordered a co2 injecter for it. What do u think the problem is??

 

[brobin]

Not a problem as such, it is just that plastic barrels tend to have a maximum working pressure of around 12psi anything above that and the release valve vents it off. Now this is fine for relativley flat beers such as Bitter but not great for lagers which tend to want a higher pressure to give them their fizz.

By injecting co2 in you will up the pressure in the barrel to give it a bit more fizz, but it will still be relativley flat I am afraid

 

[Stephenaxe]

Not a problem as such, it is just that plastic barrels tend to have a maximum working pressure of around 12psi anything above that and the release valve vents it off. Now this is fine for relativley flat beers such as Bitter but not great for lagers which tend to want a higher pressure to give them their fizz.

By injecting co2 in you will up the pressure in the barrel to give it a bit more fizz, but it will still be relativley flat I am afraid

So do u think it would be worth my while to bottle it up with more sugar ??

 

[brobin]

That is alway an option if you want it to be more livley, depends how you like your lager.

Some draught lagers like Kronenbourg 1664 are relativley flat, whilst others like Heniken are very fizzy.

If you want to use a barell in the future then it will need to be a corn keg which can withstand up to 100psi

 

[Stephenaxe]

That is alway an option if you want it to be more livley, depends how you like your lager.

Some draught lagers like Kronenbourg 1664 are relativley flat, whilst others like Heniken are very fizzy.

If you want to use a barell in the future then it will need to be a corn keg which can withstand up to 100psi

ok well, will it be ok to store it. Say if i dnt add sugar untill i take it from the barrel to the bottle ?

 

[unclepumble]

the beer will be ok in your pressure barrel,

Best thing is to have a lid with an s30 injection valve, as the rubbers on the std youngs valve are ****, and you hardly get any top pressure at all.

Put your finished brew in, prime, keep warm 15-18 deg for 4 days, then transfer to somewhere cold, outside at the mo is just perfect, (maybe a bit cold in some places) but somewhere near 0 deg is perfect for lager, as the yeast will drop out very quickly at this temp and leave you with nice clear beer, The beer will also absorb co2 more readily at a cold temperature.

Finally If you serve your lager in a glass with an etched bottom, the beer will appear to have a bit more life when you serve it.


Shane

 

[damo]

Hi Stephenaxe,

I found the same problem with the Youngs barrels. You just can't get the carbonation levels that your used to in commercial lagers.

If you don't fancy the hassle of bottling then a corny keg is the only way to go (or if you like a more industrial feel ask your local pub for a proper brewery keg!).